Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Kathryn had fought back.

At first, when her adoptive brothers beat her, she resisted with everything she had.

They were older and stronger, but she refused to go down without a fight. She threw anything she could get her hands on at them.

One time, she even grabbed a hatchet and chased them across the village.

They were terrified.

Even when her adoptive mother tried to punish her on their behalf, Kathryn didn't back down-she raised the hatchet and swung at her, too.

Her defiance finally shocked them into submission.

After that, they never dared to lay a hand on her again.

But she still had to live in that house, relying on them for food and shelter. The abuse didn't stop-it just took different forms. She was always hungry, always cold, never given decent clothes or a proper place to sleep.

And her adoptive father, the man who had brought her into that family, never once stepped in. He never defended her.

Kathryn hated him the most.

sent to prison, he later died of a so-called "illness"

Kathryn knew the truth-her biological mother had

If anything, she thought death was too easy for

she returned to the Farrell family, her adoptive mother and brothers tried to latch onto

drain her

never gave them the

already built a successful business and

her adoptive family. She had no intention of

had tormented her for years-why should she

She wasn't a saint.

none of that will ever happen again." Then he stood up, grabbed some ice, and carefully pressed

swelling has gone down

beaten,

tending to her with

"Miss doesn't like cold winters. How about Wiltspoon? Or Annenburg? It doesn't get too cold there, but summer lasts forever-seven

a moment. "If it's too hot, we can turn on

of everything she had endured as a child, but winter always haunted

suffer

built her business and became wealthy that she finally had warmth-heated buildings, a car to

never got frostbite